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An Oil sketch or oil study is an artwork made primarily in oil paints, and which is more abbreviated in handling than a fully finished painting. Originally these were made as preparatory studies or modelli, especially so as to gain approval for the design of of a larger commissioned painting. They were also used as designs for specialists in other media, such as printmaking or tapestry, to follow. Later they were produced as independent works, often with no thought of being expanded into a full-size painting.